This instruction should be sternly impressed upon the minds of all
soldiers, as it is the text upon which all admonitory addresses should
be founded. It must not be forgotten that General Wolfe's advice was
given to men armed with the old muzzle-loading Brown Bess (musket),
which at that time was provided with a lock of flint and steel.
Notwithstanding the slowness of fire necessitated by this antiquated
weapon, the General cautioned his men by the assurance, "There is no
necessity for firing very fast," etc., etc.

The breechloader is valuable through the power which exists, especially
with repeating rifles, for pouring in an unremitting fire whenever the
opportunity may offer, but under ordinary circumstances the fire should
be reserved with the care suggested by the advice of General Wolfe.

Small-bores have become the fashion of the day, and for military
purposes they are decidedly the best, as a greater amount of ammunition
can be carried by the soldier, while at the same time the range and
trajectory of his weapon are improved. The new magazine rifle adopted by
the Government is only '303, but this exceedingly small diameter will
contain 70 grains of powder with a bullet of hard alloy weighing 216
grains.

For sporting purposes the small-bore has been universally adopted, but I
cannot help thinking that like many other fashions, it has been carried
beyond the rules of common sense.

When upon entering a gunmaker's shop the inexperienced purchaser is
perplexed by the array of rifles and guns, varying in their characters
almost as much as human beings, he should never listen to the advice of
the manufacturer until he has asked himself what he really requires.